Concentrate feeding and ruminal fermentation. 1. Influence of the frequency of feeding concentrates on rumen acid composition, feed intake and milk production.

1. Four cows with rumen cannulae were given 12 kg concentrates daily in 2 equal portions at 0800 and 1530, in one portion of 12 kg at 0800 or in 4 portions of 3 kg each at 0800, 1100, 1400 and 1700 h. Every period lasted 2 weeks. In addition to the concentrates hay was provided at 0900 and 1630 h and was adjusted so that the daily remainder was at least 1 kg. In 1978 experiments were made with concentrates low in starch and sugars (LSS) (23%) and in 1979 with concentrates high in starch and sugars (HSS) (50%). In 1978 when total DM intake, milk production and milk fat content of each milking were estimated daily, the trend in pH and concentration of L-lactic acid in rumen fluid were estimated on the last day of the preliminary period (2 X 6 kg) and on the 1st, 7th and 14th days of the experimental periods (1 X 12 kg and 4 X 3 kg). In 1979 the same estimations were made, but D-lactic acid and volatile fatty acids were also estimated. Compared to 2 X 6 kg concentrates the changeover to daily 1 X 12 kg or 4 X 3 kg concentrates did not result in significant differences in DM intake nor in milk or milk fat production. Within types of concentrates there was hardly any difference in lowest rumen pH between frequencies of concentrate feeding. When HSS concentrates were given pH in rumen fluid tended to be lower than with the LSS concentrates. With 2 X 6 kg HSS concentrates, pH in rumen fluid was for a short time lower than 5.5. Lactic acid concentrations in the rumen fluid reached maximum within 1 h after concentrate feeding and L-lactic acid was 6.5, 5.0 and 2.0 mmol/litre, respectively, for 1 X 12, 2 X 6 and 4 X 3 kg LSS concentrates. For HSS concentrates the values were 4.5, 2.5 and 1.0 mmol/litre. When the HSS concentrates were given maximum concentration of D-lactic acid in rumen fluid were 2.5 to 3 times the L-lactic acid concentration. When lactic acid was not increased D- and L-lactic acid concentrations were similar. At 0800 h the molar ratio of volatile fatty acids (C2:C3:C4) as a percentage of total volatile fatty acids (VFA) in rumen fluid was 62:22:15 and changed gradually to 56:24:20 at 1900 h. Differences in VFA between frequencies of concentrate feeding were small. Total concentrations of VFA did not vary between treatments. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission

Concentrate feeding and ruminal fermentation. 2. Influence of concentrate ingredients on pH and on L-lactate concentration in incubations in vitro with rumen fluid.

2. Rumen fluid was sampled before feeding from cows given hay, diluted with an anaerobic salt solution and added (20 ml) to different amounts (mostly 1 g) of maize gluten meal, maize, citrus pulp, tapioca, beet pulp, coconut expeller or soya bean oilmeal for incubation at 39 deg C. After at least 4 h of incubation there were large differences in pH and lactic acid concentration. The acidotic index of the feeds was influenced by increasing concentration of the substrate. Except with maize meal, there was little effect of particle size on pH and lactic acid concentration. There were differences in effect on pH and lactic acid concentration between different batches of the same feeds, especially with maize meal. Incubations with mixtures of concentrate ingredients showed different pH and lactic acid concentrations from values expected from results with the single ingredients. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission

De relatie tussen bosontwikkeling op de Zuidoost Veluwe en de aantallen edelherten, damherten, reeën, wilde zwijnen, runderen en paarden.

De eigenaren van de Zuidoost Veluwe verschillen in hun doelstelling t.a.v. het beheer van bos en natuur. Daarmee verschilt ook hun houding t.a.v. de aantallen paarden, runderen, damherten, wilde zwijnen en edelherten. Het rapport biedt inzicht in de effecten van deze grote grazers op de bosontwikkeling. Er wordt een relatie gelegd met hoofddoelstelling van de terreinbeheerder (natuur voor Natuurmonumenten; houtproductie voor Stichting Twickel en Landgoed Middachten). Een dynamisch bosontwikkelingsmodel (FORSPACE) werd gehanteerd in relatie tot hoefdieren en bosontwikkelin

Landscape forming processes and diversity of forested landscapes : description and application of the model FORSPACE

In the project "Landschapsvormende processen en biodiversiteit" ("Landscape forming processes and bioversity") the spatial interactions between autonomous development of a vegetation and landscape forming processes were investigated and their implications for (bio)diversity at the landscape level were evaluated. For this purpose the model FORSPACE was developed which is a spatial explicit process model that describes vegetation dynamics and the impacts of landscape forming processes. In this study emphasis was paid to the effects of grazing by large herbivores and fire on the vegetation. Two approaches to analyse diversity at the landscape scale were developed: 1) a spatial analysis evaluating the time-evolution of dominant vegetation types, and 2) a metapopulation approach that describes the population dynamics of indicator species at the landscape scale depending on the availability of habitat. This report focuses on the methodological aspects of the study and thus acts as a reference for future applied studies. The model structure is described in detail, as well as the approach of spatial analysis and of the metapopulation dynamics of an indicator species. Much emphasis is paid on the validation of the driving processes for trees, herbs and grasses by evaluating controlled simulation experiments. In a case-study on the 200 ha of the Imbos, an area in the centre of the Netherlands, the impacts of grazing by herbivores and its interaction with different fire frequencies were evaluated

State of play and future direction with NOACs: An expert consensus.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) are cardiovascular conditions significant in contemporary practice. In both, the use of anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) has been traditionally used to prevent adverse events. However, VKA therapy is associated with challenges relating to dose maintenance, the need to monitor anticoagulation, and bleeding risks. The non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are becoming accepted as a clear alternative to VKA therapy for both AF and VTE management. The aim of this paper was to review contemporary evidence on the safety of NOACs in both conditions. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to explore key safety issues and expert consensus was achieved from eight professionals specialised in AF and VTE care. Consensus-based statements were formulated where available evidence was weak or contradictory. The expert statements in this paper form a key overview of the safety of NOACs compared with VKA therapy, and the comparative safety of different NOACs. It is apparent that a detailed patient work-up is required in order to identify and manage individual risk factors for bleeding and thrombosis prior to NOAC therapy. Additional measures, such as dose reductions, may also be used to maintain the safety of NOACs in practice

Excited-state excitons in strained quantum wells under pressure

We report measurements of the transition energies of the ground and excited state excitons in 100Å quantum wells of In0.15Ga0.85As and In0.18Ga0.82As as a function of hydrostatic pressure by photoconductivity excitation spectroscopy and absorption spectroscopy in a diamond anvil cell. The pressure coefficients of the E1HH1 and E2HH2 transitions agrees well with eight-band k.p theory provided the pressure coefficient of bulk strained InGaAs is given the anomalously low value reported previously [Wilkinson et al., Phys. Rev. B46, 3113 (1989)]. This result shows that the anomaly is an intrinsic property of the bulk strained crystal and is not associated with defects

Architectural design quality assessment based on analytic hierarchy process: A case study

Real Estate & HousingArchitecture and The Built Environmen

Use of Prestudy Heparin Did Not Influence the Efficacy and Safety of Rivaroxaban in Patients Treated for Symptomatic Venous Thromboembolism in the EINSTEIN DVT and EINSTEIN PE Studies

Objectives: In the EINSTEIN DVT and EINSTEIN PE studies, the majority of patients received heparins to bridge the period during venous thromboembolism (VTE) diagnosis confirmation and the start of the study. In contrast to vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), rivaroxaban may not require initial heparin treatment. Methods: To evaluate the effect of prestudy heparin on the efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban relative to enoxaparin/VKA, the 3-month incidence of recurrent VTE, and the 14-day incidence of major and non-major clinically relevant bleeding were compared in patients who did and did not receive prestudy heparin. Results: Of the 8,281 patients randomized, 6,937 (83.8%) received prestudy heparin (mean +/- SD duration = rivaroxaban: 1.04 [+/- 0.74] days; enoxaparin 1.03 [+/- 0.42] days), and 1,344 (16.2%) did not. In patients who did not receive prestudy heparin, the incidences of recurrent VTE were similar in rivaroxaban (15 of 649, 2.3%) and enoxaparin/VKA (13 of 695, 1.9%) patients (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.52 to 2.37). The incidences of recurrent VTE were also similar in rivaroxaban (54 of 3,501, 1.5%) and enoxaparin/VKA (69 of 3,436, 2.0%) patients who did receive prestudy heparin (adjusted HR = 0.74; 95% CI = 0.52 to 1.06; pinteraction = 0.32). The incidences of major or nonmajor clinically relevant bleeding with rivaroxaban were not significantly different from those with enoxaparin/VKA, either with (105 of 3,485, 3.0% vs. 104 of 3,428, 3.0%; adjusted HR = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.75 to 1.29) or without (24 of 645, 3.7% vs. 30 of 688, 4.4%; adjusted HR = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.46 to 1.40; pinteraction = 0.68) prestudy heparin. Conclusions: Although the majority of patients in the EINSTEIN studies received prestudy heparin, there were no notable differences in treatment effect of rivaroxaban versus enoxaparin/VKA in those who did and did not receive it. (C) 2015 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicin